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Description
She needed a change of scenery; a fresh start. She needed to get her mind of off everything that happened that week.

In one moment, she had everything she ever wanted, and in the next, her reality was torn apart by the very memories she craved to regain for five long years.

The confrontation with Master Tremnos was still fresh in her mind; the look in his eyes, the way the corners of his mouth twisted up into a demented smile, and the way he mocked the loss of her heart by his own hands. He spat at her sacrifice and sneered his brother's name.

Overwhelmed by sadness, she could shed no more tears, for that was all she could do since the moment her memories returned. Now, she just felt empty.

Heaving a sigh, she slung a single backpack over her shoulder. It contained some extra clothes, supplies, and an adequate amount of munny. Anything else was left behind. The spell books, the weapons, and anything that would remind her of Master Tremnos or the five years she spent trying to control the darkness within.

"Darkness is as much a part of you as Light," she remembered him say. "If you fear it, it will control you. Control it, and you will possess limitless power."

She wanted nothing to do with those memoires, but that would mean leaving Traverse Town behind as well, for within every district existed a memory in which she was working to control her darkness when she should have been suppressing it.

It was too late for that now. With a sigh, she gave into the darkness for what would hopefully be the last time, opening up a dark portal before her, something she learned from her "Master." It was the only means of transportation she had at the moment. Stepping through, she suddenly realized how much she hated the sensation of traveling this way, letting out a sigh of relief as she stepped out onto the streets of Radiant Garden, and mentally vowing never to use such means of travel again.

Taking a moment to get her bearings, she pulled a paper from her belt, and made her way to the address scribbled across it. She arrived at a small neighborhood containing similar one room homes for fairly priced rent, deciding to take on any small jobs she could find. Inside her new home was nothing more than a small bed, a dresser, a table and chairs, and a few other necessities. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

She set her pack down on the table, deciding that it was far too depressing to sit there alone. She hit the town, speaking to a few people and a moogle about work. It led her to a community bulletin board covered in flyers and notes. There was an old flyer for the Tournament of Heroes that brought a sad smile to her face. She scanned the other items, looking for any odd jobs people around the town needed done. There were a few different ones, but a note about a Heartless problem with a decent reward caught her attention. The cursive was exquisite and the paper was otherwise immaculate compared to the worn, sun-washed leaflets surrounding it. She removed the tack that held the paper in place and read over the message again, deciding that it would be nice to actually help people for a change.

Following the directions scrawled across the note in ornate purple script, Kia was taken to the back alley of an older residential area. The lot was spacious, but barren. The entire area appeared to have been long abandoned.

For a moment, she was suspicious of the contrast between the message and the location. She pushed the thought aside and proceeded to assume that someone may have already taken care of the problem. Discouraged, she folded up the paper and tossed it away, turning to make her way back to the square.

Hearing a distinct shuffling, she turned back, witnessing a small horde of Shadows rise from the ground, Soldiers appearing behind her. "There you are," Kia smiled. Serenity materialized in her right hand with a brilliant flash of light.

The Heartless stalked about a moment before moving in to attack. Kia unleashed a spinning attack, sending out a wave of ice magic, and encasing the Heartless around her before destroying them with a sweep of her Keyblade. It was over before it even started, but at least she could get paid.

Before she could muster another thought, a new wave of Heartless appeared around her, this time consisting of Soldiers and Darkballs. Perhaps it would actually be a challenge after all.

Kia destroyed the second wave as easily as she had the first, but something was wrong. They kept coming. As quickly as she defeated them, they reappeared; and with every wave of ice and blast of wind she dealt, she felt her energy drain. She was angry and exhausted, and from the situation surfaced memories of her training.

Then, she had a sort of out of body experience. She felt herself being pulled away from reality by an unknown force, something similar to the how it felt to lose her heart, being swallowed in darkness. This had happened before during training sessions. Master Tremnos would summon hordes of Heartless. The more she struggled during battle, the more she felt the darkness pull at her soul. When the pain and exhaustion finally became too much, she would lose herself in it. Master Tremnos gave the state a name: Corruption. He was trying to teach Kia to control it; utilize it. She was never able to.

Darkness radiated off of her now. Her eyes glazed over, and she took on a cold, emotionless appearance, surrounded by darkness. Serenity became tainted with it too, coated in a thick layer of it. Cloaked in darkness, she charged her enemies in eight slashes, leaving a trail in a distinct star pattern. The group of Heartless within the eight-pointed star exploded all at once, the pattern etched into the ground.

A new wave appeared and her body reacted, taking pleasure in every moment of the battle, every new enemy destroyed.

In under a minute, the darkness was gone, leaving as quickly as it had come; but the Heartless continued to appear. Kia fell to her knees, knowing she was in trouble. This wasn't a training session. These weren't Tremnos' Heartless. They were not going to stop attacking simply because she failed to control herself while in this state once again.

Her vision blurred and she felt herself beginning to lose consciousness. A part of her welcomed the end, but something made her grasp to life. Though there was no spell or skill she could pull off at the last moment to destroy the remaining Heartless, she remembered a small gift she received from a friend long ago, something her pride and regret kept her from using, though she always kept it with her.

"If you ever need any help, just call," he said, handing her an earpiece. She twirled it around in her hands a moment before looking up at him again.

"Just put it in your ear, and press the button."

Kia followed the instructions of her memory, hoping that time hadn't nullified his offer.

"It'll reach me," he said. "No matter what."

The device switched on. There might have been an answer on the other side, but she was too disorientated to make out any words. "I need your help," she managed weakly, unsure if the words even came out correctly.

After that, it was hard to remember if a conversation ensued. Had he asked her location? Was she able to tell him? Did he even answer the call in the first place? Five years is, after all, a very long time. Maybe it didn't reach him.

Barely conscious, all she remembered afterward was a flash of light, and eventually being lifted up. Everything went dark after that, but something told her that she was going to be okay.

Description
She needed a change of scenery; a fresh start. She needed to get her mind of off everything that happened that week.

In one moment, she had everything she ever wanted, and in the next, her reality was torn apart by the very memories she craved to regain for five long years.

The confrontation with Master Tremnos was still fresh in her mind; the look in his eyes, the way the corners of his mouth twisted up into a demented smile, and the way he mocked the loss of her heart by his own hands. He spat at her sacrifice and sneered his brother's name.

Overwhelmed by sadness, she could shed no more tears, for that was all she could do since the moment her memories returned. Now, she just felt empty.

Heaving a sigh, she slung a single backpack over her shoulder. It contained some extra clothes, supplies, and an adequate amount of munny. Anything else was left behind. The spell books, the weapons, and anything that would remind her of Master Tremnos or the five years she spent trying to control the darkness within.

"Darkness is as much a part of you as Light," she remembered him say. "If you fear it, it will control you. Control it, and you will possess limitless power."

She wanted nothing to do with those memoires, but that would mean leaving Traverse Town behind as well, for within every district existed a memory in which she was working to control her darkness when she should have been suppressing it.

It was too late for that now. With a sigh, she gave into the darkness for what would hopefully be the last time, opening up a dark portal before her, something she learned from her "Master." It was the only means of transportation she had at the moment. Stepping through, she suddenly realized how much she hated the sensation of traveling this way, letting out a sigh of relief as she stepped out onto the streets of Radiant Garden, and mentally vowing never to use such means of travel again.

Taking a moment to get her bearings, she pulled a paper from her belt, and made her way to the address scribbled across it. She arrived at a small neighborhood containing similar one room homes for fairly priced rent, deciding to take on any small jobs she could find. Inside her new home was nothing more than a small bed, a dresser, a table and chairs, and a few other necessities. It wasn't much, but it was a start.

She set her pack down on the table, deciding that it was far too depressing to sit there alone. She hit the town, speaking to a few people and a moogle about work. It led her to a community bulletin board covered in flyers and notes. There was an old flyer for the Tournament of Heroes that brought a sad smile to her face. She scanned the other items, looking for any odd jobs people around the town needed done. There were a few different ones, but a note about a Heartless problem with a decent reward caught her attention. The cursive was exquisite and the paper was otherwise immaculate compared to the worn, sun-washed leaflets surrounding it. She removed the tack that held the paper in place and read over the message again, deciding that it would be nice to actually help people for a change.

Following the directions scrawled across the note in ornate purple script, Kia was taken to the back alley of an older residential area. The lot was spacious, but barren. The entire area appeared to have been long abandoned.

For a moment, she was suspicious of the contrast between the message and the location. She pushed the thought aside and proceeded to assume that someone may have already taken care of the problem. Discouraged, she folded up the paper and tossed it away, turning to make her way back to the square.

Hearing a distinct shuffling, she turned back, witnessing a small horde of Shadows rise from the ground, Soldiers appearing behind her. "There you are," Kia smiled. Serenity materialized in her right hand with a brilliant flash of light.

The Heartless stalked about a moment before moving in to attack. Kia unleashed a spinning attack, sending out a wave of ice magic, and encasing the Heartless around her before destroying them with a sweep of her Keyblade. It was over before it even started, but at least she could get paid.

Before she could muster another thought, a new wave of Heartless appeared around her, this time consisting of Soldiers and Darkballs. Perhaps it would actually be a challenge after all.

Kia destroyed the second wave as easily as she had the first, but something was wrong. They kept coming. As quickly as she defeated them, they reappeared; and with every wave of ice and blast of wind she dealt, she felt her energy drain. She was angry and exhausted, and from the situation surfaced memories of her training.

Then, she had a sort of out of body experience. She felt herself being pulled away from reality by an unknown force, something similar to the how it felt to lose her heart, being swallowed in darkness. This had happened before during training sessions. Master Tremnos would summon hordes of Heartless. The more she struggled during battle, the more she felt the darkness pull at her soul. When the pain and exhaustion finally became too much, she would lose herself in it. Master Tremnos gave the state a name: Corruption. He was trying to teach Kia to control it; utilize it. She was never able to.

Darkness radiated off of her now. Her eyes glazed over, and she took on a cold, emotionless appearance, surrounded by darkness. Serenity became tainted with it too, coated in a thick layer of it. Cloaked in darkness, she charged her enemies in eight slashes, leaving a trail in a distinct star pattern. The group of Heartless within the eight-pointed star exploded all at once, the pattern etched into the ground.

A new wave appeared and her body reacted, taking pleasure in every moment of the battle, every new enemy destroyed.

In under a minute, the darkness was gone, leaving as quickly as it had come; but the Heartless continued to appear. Kia fell to her knees, knowing she was in trouble. This wasn't a training session. These weren't Tremnos' Heartless. They were not going to stop attacking simply because she failed to control herself while in this state once again.

Her vision blurred and she felt herself beginning to lose consciousness. A part of her welcomed the end, but something made her grasp to life. Though there was no spell or skill she could pull off at the last moment to destroy the remaining Heartless, she remembered a small gift she received from a friend long ago, something her pride and regret kept her from using, though she always kept it with her.

"If you ever need any help, just call," he said, handing her an earpiece. She twirled it around in her hands a moment before looking up at him again.

"Just put it in your ear, and press the button."

Kia followed the instructions of her memory, hoping that time hadn't nullified his offer.

"It'll reach me," he said. "No matter what."

The device switched on. There might have been an answer on the other side, but she was too disorientated to make out any words. "I need your help," she managed weakly, unsure if the words even came out correctly.

After that, it was hard to remember if a conversation ensued. Had he asked her location? Was she able to tell him? Did he even answer the call in the first place? Five years is, after all, a very long time. Maybe it didn't reach him.

Barely conscious, all she remembered afterward was a flash of light, and eventually being lifted up. Everything went dark after that, but something told her that she was going to be okay.